Izea

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Tamar Braxton is bald and "finally free"! Yesterday, the singer posted a video of her hair being shaved off her head on Instagram. She said she was tired of wigs and weaves. The 40-year-old explained that she no longer wanted to be a slave to her and other people's opinions. She said, "WE can choose to stop these things from having power and victory over us!! And for me, that stars TODAY."
We hear you, Tamar! The fact that many women feel like they cannot leave the house without a wig or weave was discussed in a past episode of Being Mary Janewhen Mary Jane, played by Gabrielle Union. M.J. said she didn't want to leave the house without her weave. Tamar Braxton and Mary Jane's thoughts are very common among women when it comes to their hair and makeup.

In their recent report, the market research company Mintel Group Ltd. reported that Black women spent 1.7 billion dollars on beauty products last year in the U.S. Of course, a lot of these products inclu…

Naturally blonde hair is often associated with white or Caucasian people. However, there are groups of dark skin people who have naturally blonde hair also. Some of these groups include the Aboriginal Australians (Aborigines) and the Melanesians. I love this fact because it goes against the idea that one group or culture must look a certain way or stay in a certain category.

The Aborigines have dark skin. Some of them also have blonde hair which tends to be straight, but can be curly. Scientists first believed they were descendants of Eurasians. In 2011, scientists found evidence against the theory from a sample of natural hair. The sample of hair, which was said to be more than 100 years old, helped scientists determine that Aborigines were descendants of Africans. The New York Times confirmed this finding:

"The Aborigines are thus direct descendants of the first modern humans to
leave Africa, without any genetic mixture from other races so far as
can be seen at present. Thei…

When we talk about the topic of natural hair, we often talk about African-Americans or Black people perming their hair to look more like Caucasian or straight hair. But, what about people of other races attempting to make their hair kinky or textured like that of African-Americans? Afro perms, along with other Black hairstyles have been a long time trend in Asia.

Because Asian hair grows naturally straight, the afro perm gives the hair a textured look. The afro perm is not an actual relaxer or perm kit, it's the use of perm rods to make the hair curly. The beautypot.com says, "An afro perm is made by not straightening the hair. It is made by
creating hair bonds that make the hair curl. The hair stylist makes
the hair into a new shape, using perming rods or rollers, and allows
the new shape to develop."

In addition, the Asian hair trends have also been greatly influenced by African braids, extensions, dreads, and cornrows. My visit to www.Afrohair.netwas fille…

Lisa Arrindell Anderson has acted in several movies including " Livin' Large","A Lesson Before Dying", "Disappearing Acts", and "Madea's Family Reunion". She has also played in many television shows and plays. This week I was blessed with the privilege of interviewing her about her lovely tresses.

Updated 8/24/2017 - Check out Part 2 for a simpler regimen to reverse protein overload!

Happy Monday, my blessed naturals!
I hope you all are having a great week. Many of you have been asking about my experience with protein overload. Because I was writing the previous protein overload articles while I was going through it, I decided to do a follow-up article to include my regimen. This one should pull all of the information of my regimen together and hopefully answer many of your questions. If you still have questions, just let me know in the comments or form on the right side of this page.

1. Realization of experiencing protein overload: My hair was hard, dry, brittle, and stiff (like hay). It's curl pattern was gone and my ends were split. It seemed like my hair changed suddenly, but I now realize that it had grown a bit rougher after each wash. I realized that I'd done too many protein treatments on my hair in a short period of time.

Fans of the beloved Bernie Mac Show got a real treat yesterday when the cast posted pictures of their reunion on social media. Camille Winbush who played Vanessa "Nessa" Thomkins on the syndicated show said, "Excuse me while I have a moment with my family." She posted a photo of herself, Kellita Smith who played Aunt Wanda, Jeremy Suarez who played Jordan Thomkins, and the youngest of them all, Dee Dee Davis who played Bryana "Baby Girl" Thomkins.
Even though the cast is about 12 years older they all still look the same. Beautiful and handsome! I think Smith must be a vampire LOL because she hasn't aged a bit. Jordan and Baby Girl grew up on us! I feel old.

Kellita Smith ( Z Nation) is 49 years old. Camille Winbush (The Secret Life of An American Teenager) is now 28 years old, Jeremy Suarez is 27 years old, and Dee Davis is 22 years old.

The Bernie Mac Show fans were happy to see the cast but couldn't forget the most important person on the show. B…

Happy Tuesday everyone!
Today I am introducing a segment called "1BlessedNatural Myth Busters." I will be debunking common myths about natural hair.

Myth #1: Baby Oil is good for my hair.

1BN: Baby Oil is not good for hair because it contains an ingredient called mineral oil. Although mineral oil is often used in hair and skin products, it is not a good thing to put in your hair. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines mineral oil as "an oil of mineral origin; especially: a refined petroleum oil used especially as a laxative." Mineral oil is also found in petroleum jelly. It is not a moisturizer. If you apply mineral oil to dry hair, your hair will look shiny but it will be dry underneath. If you apply the product to your hair, you cannot apply a moisturizer on top of it, because it will lock out the moisture. You will need to wash your hair before applying another product that will moisturize your hair.

Happy Saturday, my blessed naturals,
Last time, I told you that I was experiencing breakage with my natural hair and was going to do a protein treatment. Two protein treatments later lol, I'm here to tell you about my 2nd time with moisture overload.

What is Going On?
When I did my last protective style, my hair was very dry and brittle. It was breaking off in little pieces. My hair also had a mushy and light feeling even after being moisturized. I started thinking about my diet (which wasn't the best) and my water intake. However, it was weird that my hair just changed its texture in a matter of 1 week. As a result, my hair was taken down and washed. Then, I deep conditioned with the ORS Hair Mayonnaise. I usually do this every 2 months. However, the last time I did a protein treatment was around Easter. It was too soon to have to do it again. Plus I had to clip my ends recently which I usually don't have to do often. The bottom line is I knew something was up! My hair …

Over the last couple of days, there's been a photo circulating on social media of a person wearing cornrows with a bloody scalp. Viewers have been resharing the photo as a cautionary tale about wearing tight braids.

Wearing tight braids and other styles, especially for long periods of time can put too much stress on your hair follicles, damaging them and causing traction alopecia. This means that you will experience balding in the affected areas.

Many of us in the Black hair community have sat in braiding salons getting those neat and tootight braids, but they are not worth it! In the pic above you can see the person's scalp is swollen in some areas.

When I was 5 or 6 years old, a family friend was braiding my hair in cornrows. I felt a tingling sensation on the right side of my head and when I touched it, I saw that it was bleeding.

The friend got a towel and begin dabbing the area. After calling my grandmother, she removed the braids. I don't remember if she finished …

*Correction 7/23/2014- The product that I tried was Fluocinolone Acetonide Topical Oil which is the generic version of Derma-Smoothe F/S.

Happy Wednesday, my blessed naturals!
Back in December of last year, I made you all aware that I was battling Seborrheic Dermatitis. Seborrheic Dermatitis is a chronic scalp condition where your scalp produces a large amount of natural oil (sebum). As a result, big wax-like flakes or dandruff form. It can cause your scalp to be red and itchy. I've tried several natural remedies including Tea-Tree Oil, Tea-Tree Oil shampoos, oils, and regular honey. My doctor prescribed Derma-Smooth/FS Fluocinolone Acetonide Topical Oil along with a shampoo and foam.

This weekend, I finally got a chance to try the Derma-Smooth/FS Scalp Oil Fluocinolone Acetonide Topical Oil . I applied a thin layer to my scalp, and then put on a plastic cap. I left the oil on my scalp for a little more than 4 hours. Afterwards, I washed my hair twice with a shampoo. I was sure t…